No running on the dock!
Noisy and busy Hong Kong is far behind us, although the thought of returning in another six days looms on the horizon. Each time we come to Fintry on Lake Okanagan, we always wonder how it would be possible to return to such a beautiful place to live year round. As we entertain such thoughts we are reminded that four months from now it will be super cold and come Christmas time knee-deep in snow. This is usually when we re-consider our Fintry Fantasies. By the way, we have decided not to open the Time Capsule this year but are giving people the option of adding to it! The location still remains a secret. Below are some pictures, starting with Sela and Carys proudly modeling Tess’ sunhat.
Water is the focus of the activity. Seems the kids always have to be reminded not to run on the dock! Water activities can be taken in small doses since the water temp is still a bit chilly.
Sisters Sela & Carys smile for the camera. Maureen (occasional guest blogger here) enjoys a quite moment by herself and some playing around with Carys early in the morning on the dock.
Jasper & Sebastian show off their huge muscles. They’ve been eating well and growing lots, just like real superheroes. Family relative, Nathan, brought his kayak – a huge hit since it is easier to maneuver than a canoe – and below Sebastian & I return from a trip across the lake and back.
Below Nathan & Sebastian return from a wild ride on the windy lake. There were lots of waves that day!
Long time friend Anne Fox (we have known each other since 1977) came to visit for a few days. Here are some pictures of “Sebastian’s Dahling” taken just before Anne returned to Toronto via WestJet. That’s all there is for now… stay tuned for more.
By the way, since it is cottage season, please visit my sister’s blog at Cottage Life Magazine!
The Time Capsule… what to do?
I am now in Canada. I left India on the red-eye Thursday night, arriving into Hong Kong at about 3:30 Friday afternoon. I went directly to the office until midnight, then headed home. Saturday morning I had a long list of chores – our new helpers are re-painting the flat so the place was in complete chaos but progress being made on sprucing the dwelling up. Saturday late afternoon I left for Canada at 6:30 pm on the new Oasis Airlines. The CEO and one of the founders, Steve Miller, attends Union Church. Upon checking in I discovered he arranged an upgrade to Business Class! Twelve hours later I arrived into Vancouver (now it is Saturday afternoon). I had an hour to kill – did some quick shopping, got my hair cut by Franko and as I came up the ramp to the domestic departure hall miraculously bumped into Gran who I was supposed to meet about ten minutes later at the West Jet check-in. (Gran – Helen Ardagh – is Tess’ grandmother and Sebastian and the Terrific Trio’s great grandmother.) We flew West Jet to Kelowna and 90 minutes after arriving ended up at Fintry on the north shore of gorgeous Lake Okanagan. Other than my wonderful family and in-laws, one of the people waiting for me was Anne Fox – a Toronto friend since 1977. Anne stayed until last night. Each night we sat beneath the stars sipping a cocktail while I enjoyed a cigar. On one of the more inspired evenings my trusty Sony digital camera took the above picture. Now… here is my dilemma…
Last year, while at Fintry, we made a time capsule that Sebastian and I hid on our last morning before driving back to Vancouver. Seb and I are the only ones who know the time capsule’s whereabouts and frankly, Sebastian claims he has forgotten! The time capsule contains many treasures, letters from various people who attended Fintry last year and a memory stick with short video messages. My intention at the time was to open the time capsule this year. Some people agree with me – yes open it this year – and others say, no, wait for another five years.
What do you think?
Around Bangalore
I am in India at the moment, Mumbai to be exact. It is 10:30 PM Thursday evening IST (India Standard Time) and I leave the hotel in four hours to catch a 5:00 AM flight back to Hong Kong. I flew into Delhi about 3 AM last Sunday morning. After meetings Sunday afternoon and Monday I flew to Bangalore on Monday late afternoon. I was in Bangalore all day Tuesday and Wednesday, then left this morning (Thursday 11:30 but the flight was two hours late so it was actually 1:30 PM by the time we got off the ground) to Mumbai. The weather in Bangalore was wonderful… slightly overcast and with the higher elevation the air cool and comfortable. I had a very good albeit busy visit. Last December on a trip to Bangalore I took a bunch of pictures and video. I have assembled it here for your viewing pleasure. You will see some pictures from Lalbagh Rock & the Lalbagh Gardens, views of the street from my hotel window (Taj Residency), a girl dancing for me as I drove by in an “AutoRickShaw,” lots of other street scenes, cows, and then me leaving the airport. Quite an amazing place… I hope you enjoy.
Church Clean-Up Day
On June 2nd Tess & I were involved in a clean-up day at Union Church. I took some pictures and video that I pulled together into a five minute presentation. The video was played last Sunday, and will be played again this Sunday. The idea is to promote the event for future clean-up days and also acknowledge those helped out on the day. Fun to watch, hope you enjoy. (Sorry, no dancing Chuck!)
Could it have gone better?
Recently, I had some dental work done. A crown was placed on a tooth after the tooth cracked a third of itself down the middle. I looked in my mouth and thought, “Oh my gosh, I’ve blown it… root canal here we come.” Fortunately I went straight to the dentist. He was able to save the tooth, crown it, and now it’s in very good shape. I have been going to this dentist – Dr. Thomas Tam in the United Centre, Admiralty, Hong Kong – since 1996 when I first arrived in Hong Kong. Of all the dentists I’ve had, he is by far the best. I have referred many people to him from general inquiries to business emergencies when visitors have been in town. He even has a cool Goggle Video Set that allows you to watch movies while having your mouth drilled and cleaned. The most recent round of work allowed me to watch the latest James Bond film in two sittings.
I’ve been telling Sebastian for months that soon he would go to the dentist. I am one of those people who procrastinate when it comes to dentists and maybe I delayed with Sebastian a bit, too. Tess and I recently went out to dinner with friends and I asked one of them, “When did you first take your kids to the dentist?”
“When they were two and a half!” she piped back. “And where are you going on your month long holiday?” I quickly inquired to change the conversation.
I have been telling Sebastian for soooo long, and he has been repeatedly asking me about it for so long, that soon the visit would become an integrity issue: if I didn’t get Sebastian to the dentist by the start of his summer vacation, my name would be “mud” and the tooth fairy would arrange a root canal. Therefore, the day finally came, today. I nipped out of work for an early lunch and took Sebastian for his first dental visit. You’ve heard the stories of how he has a propensity to whine and whinge and get upset and not sit still. Do you think a dental visit would provoke that type of behavior? NOT AT ALL! Our little Sebastian was amazing – the epitome of best behavior. So much so, that I think those 45 – 55 minutes might have been the most mature thus far of his little life.
We walked in and as coached, Sebastian greeted the dentist, “Hello, Dr. Tam!” With indifference Sebastian shrugged off completing the “First Time Patient” form until I asked him to fill in the “Other Name” section. He did that willingly and perfectly. Dr. Tam walked Sebastian through every step of the session, explaining all the instruments and testing them on his skin or fingernails. Dr. Tam described how the air blower tickled and the water sprayer thing sprayed and the Captain Hook instrument helped clean his teeth. Turns out Sebastian had a slight chip off one of his molars, (better than his shoulder!) probably from one of his nasty falls that produced stitches. Left alone this slight indentation would eventually decay; therefore, Dr. Tam suggested a little etching and smoothing over of the imperfection with dental stuff. Including the cleaning and procedure, Sebastian was in the chair for about 50 minutes. Wow – I had never seen a more cooperative Seb! Throughout the procedure we were giving each other simulated high fives, thumbs ups, smiles and of course, both Dr. Tam and I praised Sebastian plenty because… he truly was really patient and wonderful. Every once in a while Sebastian winced or frowned with whatever was happening in his mouth, but he quickly rebounded. At the end of the session Dr. Tam gave Sebastian a dental balloon – a rubber glove blown up like a balloon.
I was so impressed with Sebastian that afterwards, without hesitation, I let him go to McDonald’s with De for lunch and ice cream after they dropped me back off at work. “But you have to brush your teeth when you get home if you have ice cream,” I instructed. Later in the afternoon Tess and I spoke on the phone. Tess described how in the middle of watching TV (on our new flat screen) while Tess packed a few feet away, Sebastian suddenly blurted out, “I have to go!”
“Where?” Tess asked in surprise.
“To brush my teeth,” Sebastian exclaimed with glee, “because I had ICE CRRREAM!” he said as he darted out of the room.
I don’t think Sebastian’s first dental visit could have gone any better.
The world is small, see it all…
We’ve had a busy weekend. Last night, spur of the moment, Sebastian, Jasper and I headed out to the Aberdeen Boat Club for a one hour swim and supper. Seb had been desperate to go swimming for about two to three weeks (since the last time we swam) and his close to polite pleads turned into a spontaneous Boys Night Out. The two boys got along very, very well… in fact probably better than ever before. While at the ABC, I inquired about breakfast. This was something else Sebastian asked me about a few days ago… "Can we go to the ABC for breakfast someday?" I wondered to myself where that idea came from. The ABC crew told me breakfast started at 7:30 AM on Sundays. I checked over the breakfast menu and decided we’d go for it. This morning when the kids awoke at 6:45 AM, I informed them that the five of us would have breakfast at the ABC. We quickly changed and left Tess to sleep for a few extra hours. Excitedly arriving at the ABC we discovered the Saturday night crew had been misinformed… breakfast started until 8 AM. But they took one look at the four hungry, getting grumpy kids and said, "We’ll start early… what would you like?" After wolfing down waffles and OJ , the kids spent two hours playing in the ABC playground while I watched them, sipping my coffee and catching up on my study of The Purpose Driven Life. At one point JJ rested in the shade to read a book. A picture of that is above with JJ pretending to be a rabbit. After church, Tess and I ended up back at the ABC to spend a few hours swimming. We tried water wings on the triplets. Jasper wasn’t so keen on that idea but the girls loved it. We had a quick dinner and headed home in time for everyone to be asleep well before normal bedtime.
The video below is worth watching. I found it on a blog I bump into every once in a while. I like it not just due to the melancholy nature, but also because I love the music of Deep Forest. I first discovered them in 1993. Considering how much I travel, I am trying to figure out how I could do a similar video. Any suggestions? Either way, great video that drives the point home… it’s a small world, see it all… any way you can.
